DCTC passes in the first Budget Vote!

Terrific news! We did it! The District of Columbia is on an historic path to a guaranteed income for parents with young children. The Council held a first vote to approve the FY 2025 budget and in it they passed the District Child Tax Credit proposed by Councilmember Zachary Parker for families with younger children. As Councilmember Parker states, “The first bill I introduced along with nine colleagues established the District Child Tax Credit. I’m incredibly proud that it is now funded. The initial downpayment will provide joint filers making up to about $240,000 a tax credit of about $420 per child under 6 years old.” PolicyEngine estimates that it will cut child poverty by 12.5%. See more here to calculate the impact of this reform on different households on the PolicyEngine platform. That is a guaranteed income with groundbreaking outcomes! See below for Councilmember Zachary Parker’s summary of the impact of his proposed District Child Tax Credit!

Dollars are still missing for housing and other critical safety net programs, however funding for several critical programs has been partially restored or funded up to FY 2024 levels. This includes essential dollars invested in the Child Wealth Building Act of 2021 and the Access to Justice Fund. There are others for which we are grateful! See more here! 

Thank Councilmember Zachary Parker (zparker@dccouncil.gov) for blazing a path to a guaranteed income for DC’s families with children through his proposal, The District Child Tax Credit Amendment Act of 2023. Join us in thanking Chair Mendelson (pmendelson@dccouncil.gov) for his leadership! And thank you! Our work is not completely done so let’s stay vigilant. 

In Solidarity, 

Melody
Melody Webb
Founder and Executive Director
Mother’s Outreach Network / DC Guaranteed Income Coalition